TIRANA, Aug. 1, 2022 – Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was in Tirana on Monday, part of a regional tour, making him the first ever Spanish prime minister to visit Albania.
Sanchez said at a press conference with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, that Madrid fully supports the region’s EU integration.
“The EU cannot be conceived without the Balkans,” Sanchez said.
However, Spain’s position on not recognizing Kosovo as an independent state remains unchanged, he said.
“We think international law has been violated, so we cannot be in favor of its acceptance. With all the respect we have for the Albanian people, but it is an opinion that we do not share with the Albanian government,” Sanchez said.
Prime Minister Rama responded: “You are within your right to draw extreme conclusions, there is no problem; I am within my right to tell you that the opposite is true.”
Spain faces a separatist movement in its Catalonia region, which is the root of its unease with Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia, international relations experts point out.
During the visit, Albania and Spain also signed a bilateral agreement for the creation of a joint investigation group on the fight against international organized crime.
